MILLERSVILLE, MD—Today, Montgomery County Department of Parks officials join Governor O’Malley, Superintendent Grasmick, Secretary Griffin, Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature, Maryland No Child Left Inside Coalition and others for the Maryland No Child Left Inside Rally at the Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center in Millersville, Maryland.
“We are happy to be a part of this celebration of young people and nature,” said Montgomery County Director of Parks Mary Bradford. “Montgomery County’s parks offer a variety of opportunities to get outdoors and enjoy.”
Montgomery County’s parks system includes more than 400 regional, recreational, stream valley, urban, neighborhood and local parks; 2 premier lakes—Lake Needwood in Rockville and Little Seneca Lake in Boyds—with opportunities to rent pedal boats, kayaks or canoes; nearly 200 miles of paved and natural surface trails for hikers, bikers, walkers or equestrians; 4 nature centers, which offer a variety of classes and programs for all seasons and ages; and more.
“Our park naturalists are leading the charge in keeping young people connected with nature,” added Bradford, “taking their programs out of the nature centers, for instance, and offering them on the ground and directly in communities across Montgomery County.”
The Montgomery County Department of Parks operates the Black Hill Visitor Center in Boyds, Brookside Nature Center in Wheaton, Locust Grove Nature Center in Bethesda and Meadowside Nature Center in Rockville. Recently, the department, through its nature facilities, initiated “Nature Everywhere” programs in the spirit of leaving no child inside. Some of the ways the department’s park naturalists are reaching out include the following:
- Nature Boxes for Teachers: Black Hill Visitor Center, courtesy of the Friends of Black Hill Regional Park, offers a series of nature boxes free of charge for use on-site and popular among area teachers. There are boxes on birds, bats, butterflies, insects, mammals, the Monarch butterfly lifecycle and migration and more. Each box offers hands-on learning opportunities and lesson suggestions.
- Red Wagon programs: Park naturalists from Brookside Nature Center load up an old-fashioned red wagon with nature-themed items and head out to the popular playground at Wheaton Regional Park to offer on-site and hands-on nature programs to kids.
- Outdoor Learning Center: The Department of Parks is seeking funding to develop a new exploration area outside of the Locust Grove Nature Center to highlight unstructured play in a natural setting, but within a safe fenced area at the center.
- Programs for Scouts: Meadowside Nature Center offers a comprehensive slate of nature-focused programs for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Brownies. Through the nature center, scouts earn badges in chemistry, geology, astronomy, water and soil conservation and more.
“Our naturalists have also been taking their programs to community centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, neighboring schools, county recreation centers, libraries and a host of other venues to spread their passion for the natural world with others in creative and fun ways,” said Bradford. “We also want to encourage all parents and guardians to find time for unstructured free play in the many open and wooded park areas near their homes.”
For more on the Montgomery County Department of Parks four nature facilities, including the classes and programs offered at each, visit www.MontgomeryParks.org.
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Contact:
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866